Michael f



LQWTH & HOWE.

Wheel-Gultivator.

Patented Apr. 23' 1'867.

,L PVEEHS. PHOTCLUTHDWHE?. WASHINGTON, D. 6

@einen tatra attnt @Hire MICHAEL F. LOWTH A'ND THOMAS Ji HOWE, OFOWATONNA, MINNESOTA Letters Patent No. 64,119, dated April 23, 1867'.

IMPROVEMENT-IN cunrvtroas.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: v

Be it lcnoivn that we, MICHAEL F. LOWTH and THOMAS J. HOWE, of Owatonna, in the county of Steele, and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Cultivators'; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ot' the 'same,.reference being had to thc accompanying drawings, which are made a part of this specification, and in whiche Figure 1 is a plan of a cultivator illustrating our improvement.

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same.

Figure 3 is a view embracing in detail the several parts which are concerned in the elevation of the shovels.

This invention relates to a cnltivator in which the shovel-beams have pivoted attachment upon a rod, and are connected to a transverse bar so as to be susceptible of elevation by means of chainsI or ropes which run over grooved quadrants upon the opposite ends of ajournalled shaft, saidquadrauts being vibrated by means of a lever. i

The object of the invention is to enable the position of the lever to be changed so as toiadapt it to beV operated by a person either riding on the seat of the implement or Walking behind the same.

In order that others skilledV in the art to which our invention appertains may be enabled to fully understand and use the same, wewill proceed to describe its construction and operation.

The machine proper, consisting of the wheels A, frame I5, tongue C, seat E, and shovel-beams D, may be' 'constructed in themanner represented in the drawings, or with such modifications as may be found desirable. no specitic description being needed in connection therewith, as the present improvement has reference only to the means for elevating the shovels. At their forward ends'the shovel-beams D are held by a transverse rod, F, which, passing Vthrough the ends of the beams, forms a pivot upon which the beams are free to turn. The rod F is supported in the enlargements upon the; bars G, which are secured to the transverse bars of the frame B B. The rear ends ofthe beams D are connected by screws, bolts, or otherwise, to the transverse bar H. I I may represent chains (or ropes) attac/hed at one end by staples to the bar I-I, and hitched each to a hook'on the quadrants-J J, which are attached to the opposite ends of the shaft 'K, the latter being mounted and adapted to turn in the brackets or supports L L. By vibrating one ofthe quadrants J the shaft K is partially rotated, and the other quadrant is consequently vibrated simultaneously. The circular rims of the quadrants J J are grooved so as to confine and act with the requisite tensional draught upon the chains I to elevate Vthe bar E together with the shovel-beams I). M (see iig. is a segmental plate which, aswell as the quadrants, may be of cast iron, and which is formed with a circular aperture to adapt it to be tted upon the hub of one of the quadrants. .The segment M is also cast with sockets m m, which confine' the lower end of the lever N. The sai-fl segment being contiguous to the inner face'of the bracket L, (seeg. 1,) is coupled or connected with the quadrant J by means of the screw-bolt O. The position of the segment M, in relation to the quadrantJ,`

may be varied by changing the bolt O from one of the apertures y" to the other. Thus, when the screw-bolt O occupies the aperture the lever N will stand in a position to be conveniently operated by the person upon the seat E, but when the said bolt occupies the aperture- 7'2 the rear end of the lever N will be sudiciently depressed to enable it to be grasped and operated by a person following the machine on foot. vIt will be seen that under either of the positions which the segment M may thus be m'ade to assume, a given movement of the lever causes the quadrants to vibrate to the same extent, and that the adjustment vof the segment is eifected without changing the normal relation between the segment J and its attachment with the. elevating bar H. The projections m m on the segment M serve as guides by moving in contact with the upper circular rim of the bracket L. The apertures l in the bracket L merely reduce the Weight, but the apertures Z are designed to receive the end of the pin /n on the lever N, which pin may be thrown into either of said apertures by the lateral impulse of the lever N, and enables the latter to be held at different points to retain the shovels in any desired position.

Having thus described ourinvention, what we claim as new herein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination with the quadrantJ of the adjustable segment M for the purpose of changing the position of lthe lever N, substantially as and for the object specified.

2. The combination of the quadrants J J, segment M, shaft K, and lever N with the chains or flexible connect-ions I, connecting-bai-I-I, and shovel-beams D, all arranged and operating in the manner and fdr-the' 4purpose speciied. Y.

MICHAEL F. LQWTI'I, THOMAS J. I'IOVE.

Witnesses:

Lewis L. Wasi-stoor", Rtcnu. F. M. Samoens.. 

